Taylor Swift Tops Adele, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga as Music's Biggest Moneymaker—How Much Did She Rake In?

Speak Now songbird nabs the top spot on Billboard's latest list of top 40 moneymakers for her combined earnings from touring, album sales and songwriting royalties

By Alexis L. Loinaz Mar 12, 2012 4:31 PMTags
Taylor SwiftEva Rinaldi / Splash

Taylor Swift was shockingly snubbed at this year's Grammys, missing out on an Album of the Year nomination, but the Speak Now songbird is getting the last laugh.

The 22-year-old just nabbed the top spot on Billboard's latest list of top 40 moneymakers, besting major acts like U2 and Lady Gaga and solidifying her place as music's biggest, most lucrative talent.

Hearing lotsa cha-chings? We are, too!

But exactly how much dough is she rolling in?

Line up those bean counters: According to Billboard, Swift made $35.7 million last year!

The biggest chunk of that—$29.8 million—came from her massively successful Speak Now tour, which grossed $88.5 million in the U.S. alone.

Album sales also drove major moolah to Swift's coffers: She sold 1.8 million units in 2011, boosted by Speak Now's unflagging popularity. Throw in songwriting royalties—she penned all 14 tracks from that album—and you've got one fat bottom line.

Here's who else squeaked into the top 10:

1. Taylor Swift: $35.7 million
2. U2: $32.1 million
3. Kenny Chesney: $29.8 million
4. Lady Gaga: $25.3 million
5. Lil Wayne: $23.1 million
6. Bon Jovi: $19.8 million
7. Sade: $16.3 million
8. Céline Dion: $14.2 million
9. Jason Aldean: $13.4 million
10. Adele: $13 million